Munger, Tolles & Olson represented several higher education institutions in filing two amicus briefs opposing the executive order issued by President Donald Trump that established a temporary travel ban for people from seven countries into the United States.

The first amicus brief was filed on Feb. 3, 2017 on behalf of eight Massachusetts universities – including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology – in the case of Arghavan Loughghaj et. al v. Trump. The brief described the impact of the ban on students and faculty, many of whom were prevented from returning to or visiting the campus from the blocked countries. In addition, the brief explained the ban’s impact on the quality of higher learning in the United States, as scholars and overseas institutions threatened to boycott visiting or working for U.S. universities in response to the ban. “These consequences undermine amici’s bedrock commitment to serving the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the United States, and the world through innovative teaching and research,” the brief stated. “That effort depends on maintaining a consistent pipeline of the most talented students and scholars from around the world.”

On Feb. 16, 2017, Munger Tolles filed a similar amicus brief in the case of Darweesh v. Trump on behalf of the American Association of Universities (AAU). The brief outlined the impact of the travel ban on the AAU’s 60 member institutions, which encompasses an estimated 10,000 students and faculty from the affected seven countries. The brief also detailed why the ban impacts the entire nation, as it “impairs the cross-border exchange of ideas that is critical to our members’ success as educational institutions—and the ability of our members to contribute to the success of the country as a whole.”